Yes, Alecia...I'm Ready!

Influential Marketing

Who is it that you follow influences you?
To me, this takes constant study in your craft and niche. Do you study this?
Some people have a relationship to not truly understand that gratitude of influential marketing. Many just don’t understand really what influential marketing is and how to use it in their promotions.
Even if one person is complaining on what you are doing, there are 10 more people ready to buy.

What is the wrong way to show influential marketing?

One problem is confusing the size with influence. The key is to uncover those people who have the trust and respect of their audiences. Not just those with the most followers.
Find value in what they have to offer. They are able to solve a problem and show a solution to what you are looking for.
Shouldn’t we all be doing this?
Another mistake is thinking in terms of transactions, not relationships.
Too many focus on what the person of influence can do for them, rather than how they can help the others be an influence. It’s a mistake to make presumptions or expectations with no credit to who gave you the resources or value you found that influenced you.

Are you courageous enough to win in this business?

Step outside of your comfort zone, and get in front of you influencer’s?
How do you recruit influencers to help you with your marketing efforts?
Simple, right? Identify the right ones.
Create a list of 10 to 20 that you aim to cultivate the influencer’s you admire. Onces you want to cultivate relationships.
That number is manageable for direct communication. How do you find them? I find them as leaders in my company. Find them with who you study and use Google to identify people that is relevant to your business. Search social media to see who is participating in or lead conversations in targeted groups and see who is leading conversations.
Attend industry events and meet potential people of influence in person.
Get to the next event to meet the most influential online marketers.

Can your customer’s help you in influential marketing?

Ask them what blogs they read, who they follow on twitter, and what they consider their best resources of information.
There are a couple of sites that will show the top influential as far as high followers and rank.
One site dedicated to several social sites is Klout. I think the top score is 100 and it amazes me that I have reached above 70 several times. While the average is between 20 and 30.
Follow me HERE
Another site to see the top people of influence on twitter is:
http://twellow.com/ Get your account and follow Alecia on twitter.Follow Alecia on Twellow HERE.
Hook it up with twitter and search and follow in the same platform.

Is modeling a part of being an influence?

Modeling is one of the fastest ways to duplicate someone’s success.
Modeling is taking their mindset and way they do things and take their energies and model close as possible to get the same results.
If you are modeling someone, that is the best complement you can give someone.
They copy and don’t understand what they are doing and not adding their personality and energy to it.
I got this training from the Viral Blogging Academy. Click the image below to get your blog and get access:

What is the difference to the average and the great?

The great people sees the opportunities they have.
That what separates the great people to the average.
Are you focused on what they are thinking and feeling?
Here are a few sites that can help you analyze your influence:
http://followerwonk.com/ This site shows the analytic analysis too, yet I think you have to pay for more services for those features.
http://buzzsumo.com/ This site shows the top content, people of influence and content alerts. You can view it with articles, info-graphics, guest posts, giveaways, interviews, and videos.
Another way to open up your ideas to search!

What’s in it for them?

Humanize your business. Expectations are resentments waiting to happen. Here are more sites to get managers to help you with your influence online:
Traackr.com is a site that you need to request one of their sales team to show you a demo of how it works because their platform has so much to manage in one place.
Appinions.com is also the same way like Traackr in a way that you need to request a demo from their sales team to see how their platform works.
GroupHigh.com shows you a way to find more blogs in your influence. Build powerful list segments based on social reach and so much more. Discover bloggers that are already following you on twitter. Measure engagement in real time too!
Getlittlebird.com has an influence marketing platform to see how you can build social influence to drive business growth. You have to request a trial from their sales reps as well.

Another mistake in influence:

People do not build a network before you need it.
Identify and engage with those that have created results in their industry before you have requested anything from them. Build relationships and earn credibility by giving generously to them before asking for anything in return.
The gifts you give others of influence that might be simply time and attention. What you read and share their stuff on your own social networks in your content. Or it may be something more tangible like free accounts, samples, exclusive invitation.
It takes time to create a relationship with people of influence. Then when it comes to becoming a JV partner or work together on a project, there’s already some familiarity and credibility before ‘the ask.’
Always have a goal.
Know your sense of purpose. There are several products inside of Empower Network that will help guide you in this focus. My favorite is in the 15k Formula, Module 1.
Another training that influenced me in this topic is in the Viral Blogging Academy in story telling as well.
Here are a few questions to ask as you focus your brand awareness, generate leads, and improve engagement.

What do you want one of influence to do?

What will an ongoing relationship mean to your marketing and reputation? How will you measure that?
Remember, depending on your goal, you may want to engage or target different types of people of influence.
Also always be generous with how you define “influencer” in any ongoing program. In our close connected world, everyone has a voice and can inform the thinking of anyone else. Consider incorporating the less-obvious people of influence and nurture them as you nurture your own business and marketing.
Odden says, from this inspired article here, “Helping upcoming talent become influential makes them a a friend for life.”
Isn’t that what people ‘remember’ you for?
I think influential marketing starts you journey to create your legacy of how you want to be remembered.
Go on the journey and keep influencing others with what you do and how you share your thankfulness to others.
Share in the comments below of one of influence in your life.
Take action in educating yourself in the books suggested, audio’s suggested HERE, and products that help educate you on how you can become a better person of influence.
To Success Dreams,
Alecia Stringer

Great Post Alecia! We actually already own a copy of The Psychology of Persuasion, at first it was a hard book to read and I don't know about Rich but for me my mind couldn't get wrapped around the authors verbiage. But, to read a book this good just once isn't going to sink in as it will require a 2nd and 3rd time to read to really grasp it.